QOTW: August 29, 2008

"This taco is hard, and this one is easy."
John Paul, referring to his hard and "soft" tacos.

(yelling) "We don't say that man is fat, right, Mom?
Yep, John Paul talking about the guy who fixed our water heater this week. John Paul was kind enough to whisper "fat". And, so ensued a conversation about keeping comments like that to ourselves. I'd relive it for you, but that would take all morning.

"Nice."
Clare, after discovering strawberries!

Have a great weekend gang. The boys are off to Aggieland tomorrow afternoon. I suppose I'll just enjoy the peace and quiet with half the kids :-)

I just have to say...

Ok, so I even hestitated to put this post up. I'm not the politically saavy blogger - just a mom, trying to keep pace with my kids and sharing the ups and downs of parenthood. I figure parenthood is controversial enough. But...

In light of the press coverage the DNC has been getting the last week, I was all hyped up to share why I'm so frustrated with prominent Catholic politicians who believe one thing "personally" but say another "publicly" (they shall remain unnamed, but they know who they are) and then I read this morning's scripture meditation.

It went something like this. If God were to come right now, I mean RIGHT NOW, would you be doing something that glorified the Kingdom? And that got me thinking, sheez, if I'm dissing some politician that's not the way I wanna go out. You know?

So, I'll just offer this - no matter who you are, no matter what your religion - live it to the fullest. Or as one of my favorite musicians sings in his song, "Live out Loud." You can wear all the right clothes, say all the right things, but it 'ain't enough. For my fellow Catholics, don't be a cafeteria Catholic picking and choosing what theology and teaching you will and won't believe. It doesn't work that way. If you buy into any religion, you buy into the whole thing.

Ok, soapbox removed, ranting complete. Back to parenthood. John Paul and Anna-Laura had open house today for Parent's Day Out. Not a tear. They LOVE it up there. And so do I. AND, in much more important news....MISS CLARE IS EATING TABLE FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Longer post tomorrow on the daily eating habits of my children. Take your stocks out of Gerber, we're no longer keeping them afloat. Hooray!

Top Ten: Things I'm Looking Forward to This Fall

Ah, fall is in the air...temperatures are in the mid-90s, people are still wearing halter tops, school is back in session and the Aggies kick-off the football season this weekend. WHOOP! Here's hoping this season is better than those in recent memory. Hey, a girl's gotta dream.

Without further ado, here is this week's...

TOP TEN THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS FALL

1. Soccer games, all 20 of 'em. Yep, both boys signed up which means we'll be living at the soccer fields every Saturday. I'm thinking about pitching a tent, selling lemonade and living in a van down by the river.

2. Scott's birthday. He's the only one in the house with a fall birthday. I'm already in birthday withdrawal, so his can't get here soon enough! Let's party already.

3. High school football. Since we were first married, heading to a high school football game has always been something we love. Enter children into the marriage and going to them on a regular basis? Notsomuch. Maybe we can make it a date Friday this fall.

4. Kicking t.u.'s tail in football. Gobble, gobble. Need I say more?

5. Jeans and long sleeve shirts. I love fall weather. It's the only time of the year people don't comment on how pale I am.

6. Election season. Oh, wait, that's a different top ten.

7. The holidays. Every single one of 'em. Starting with Labor Day all the way through New Year's. The kids are already mapping out their Halloween costumes.

8. My mom's 60th birthday. Don't hide Mom, be proud. You've had 60 GREAT YEARS (well, in a few weeks anyway). I only pray I'm that blessed!!

9. Lower utility bills. Enough with the no rain.

10. A new season of Lost.

Sibling Love

I just couldn't let the day slip away without telling this cute story.

This morning, we headed out to the grocery store. A highlight of the trip is earning a "Buddy Buck" which can be inserted into a game and the kids get to "grab" a plastic ball with a numbered sticker inside. Yes, before I had children I always wondered what the big fuss was over this thing. I'm still not sure, but it's a great incentive for good behavior at the store. The kids did outstanding, so over we went. John Paul even says to Anna-Laura (without prompting, mind you), "Sisty, you go first." I was so proud.

Buddy buck in.
Arm down.
Anna-Laura got her yellow ball.
Lots of screams and joy.

Buddy buck in.
Arm down.
John Paul scored with a ball and a lid to another.
Jackpot.
Then the arm dropped the ball (yes, in every way) and left the lid for John Paul.
Tiny tears started to form.
The bottom lip came out.

Then AL says, "I'm sorry Dawn Paw. Next time you get your ball."
Then they hug.
I almost cried.

Thank you Mr. Postman!

Look what came in the mail!! You might remember the mad-dash painting spree from this post. This has definitely become a new family tradition.

QOTW: August 22, 2008

"Well, it's better than yesterday."
John Paul in reference to the CRAZY carpool line at school on Wednesday. We sat on 2222 for 25 minutes!!!

"Mom, I took those words right out of your head."
Will

Happy Friday! We'll be back for more funnies on Monday.

Make it stop!

Ok, let's see a show of hands - how many of you need the Olympics to stop? Every night, EVERY NIGHT, Scott and I say, "Oh, we'll DVR it and watch it tomorrow." And every night, we DVR it and stay up late watching because we can't look away. Stop with the athlete profiles, stop with the Costas comments, the tears, the breath-taking performances. 0545 is going to come even earlier tomorrow. Yeah - that just means I'll get a jump start on all the live events. After all, that's 6:45pm in Beijing.

1st Day of School!!!!

Today's regularly scheduled top ten has been pre-empted by a much more important event...THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!


Wow. How in the world did second grade come so fast? This morning was so fun. I love the first day, don't you? Here's to an exceptional year of many firsts!! Hope you have a great day, buddy. We're so proud of you.




Will and Mrs. Moore at yesterday's "Meet and Greet"

Remember the Alamo!

Oh how Scott and I LOVE San Antonio. It's the perfect blend of Tex-Mex, great food, history and, last weekend, time away with each other. Scott had Friday off, for the Feast of the Assumption, and we spent the day in San Antonio with the kids.




We started off with lunch at the Grist Mill (a family favorite for 4 generations!) and then headed to the Riverwalk for the boat ride. It was incredibly hot, but the kids had a great time and we didn't have to have any heroic water rescues. Score in our book. Then, we skipped through the Alamo for a quick history tour.
(Just an FYI, later in the weekend Scott and I went back and did the audio tour. Amazing stuff. Next time you find yourself on hallowed ground, spend the $5 bucks and go on the tour. Yes, you'll feel like one of those obnoxious tourists, but you'll gain a greater appreciation for the Lone Star State and her heroes.)




My mom and Aunt Amanda (man, we love you two) met us in San Marcos for a kid exchange and Scott and I headed back to 'ol San Antone for a weekend sans kids. That's right 36 hours of hot food, sleeping in, uninterrupted conversation and no diapers. It was blissful. At first, I think we were really sad to leave the kids. I know that sounds a bit weird. Most people are like, "Seriously? 4 kids? And you're sad?" Hey, as much as we wanted time away, it's hard to extract yourself from what you do everyday and take a break. We did, though, and it wasn't until we got there that we realized just how much alone time we were needing. Strange as it sounds, it really felt like a weekend AWAY. Except for the Olympics (of course), we didn't keep up with anything else. I got a pedicure, Scott watched Cowboy's football, went to Mass (twice!), toured some things in San Antonio that we really love and ate some great meals. SOME GREAT MEALS. Oh my. My stomach is still paying for that food. Certainly the most lively was Rosario's on Saturday night. We watched Mr. Phelps grab #8, listened to some live music and had some awesome margaritas. My kind of night.

I simply can't say enough great things about last weekend. The kids had a superb time at Nana and Papa's while Scott and I enjoyed the time with each other. At Mass on Friday, I just knelt in the pew after communion ticking off the many blessings and in the process got a little teary-eyed. In this snowglobe of motherhood, sometimes (ok, a LOT of times) I forget just how good we have it. This weekend made me remember them all again.

Thank you God.
Thank you Scott.
Thank you Nana and Papa.

Snapshot: Rocks!

A week or so ago, the kids were all napping and Will was itching to do something fun. He dug out a rock painting book we had forgotten all about (courtesy of his Godmother "La"). I'm not sure who had more fun.

QOTW: August 15, 2008

"That sunset sure is a beautiful sight."
Will

"Man we never get to stay up this late."
Will, after coming home from a late-night birthday party at 10pm.

"Mom, we've got to start watching more of that Olympic channel!"
Will, not realizing that the Olympics isn't a 'show', wonders why I can't get it together and put the TV on more swimming!!!

Top Ten: Life Lessons Learned from the Olympics

Yes, it's that time of the decade. Another summer olympics. I'm SO not athletic, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Olympics. Maybe I'm just living vicariously through these amazing human beings :-) I'm totally addicted to the HD and probably need some counseling. But, there are a few things I've learned from watching the games and I thought they were worth sharing. Before you get started, I should point out that the mere fact I have an Olympic top ten makes me a junkie. Obviously, I've watched way too many interviews and profiles and spent a little bit too much time on the computer...but I digress.

TOP TEN: LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE OLYMPICS

1. Don't talk trash. Especially if you're French.

2. Just because a country is the most densely populated in the world doesn't mean they don't have a thing or two to learn about human rights.

3. Sometimes, winning the bronze is a dream come true.

4. Sometimes, winning the silver isn't.

5. That you can be from a tiny place called Togo and the world calls you a hero.

6. That wearing your wedding ring while playing beach volleyball may not be a good idea.

7. That you can have cancer and still be fast as lightning in the pool.

8. That playing basketball in some multi-million dollar arena in the states, ain't nothing like playing in Beijing.

9. When you stay up until midnight (even though you're DVRing every single Olympic second)...it's really hard to get up the next morning.

10. That Bob Costas is really funny.

QOTO

This is slightly early, but after watching Bob Costas do his wrap-up on the 4x100M relay last night, this has got to be the Quote of the Olympics.

Prior to the race, the French team spouted off this arrogant quote: "The Americans? We're going to crush them. That's what we came here for."

Bob's response after the race?
"Oh contraire, mon ame."

Off the Market

Some of you knew we were seriously considering selling our house and moving closer to Will's school. So, for the past 5 weeks, we've been busy cleaning, looking, showing, hoping, worrying and praying. But sometimes the thing that you think you want most just doesn't feel right. Honestly? I think God has been telling us that all along, we just thought that our plans were better than His. Silly us.

So, today our Casa is off the market and already the stress level has been alleviated around here. Now, we're looking forward to enjoying our last full week of summer...and the fact that unmade beds, a pile of dirty dishes in the sink and horrific kid toilets are back!!!

QOTW: August 7, 2008

Yes, I realize I missed last week. So you get a double dose today.

"Off you go!" (said with a very cool British accent)
Anna-Laura & John Paul's soccer coach when he sent them off to dribble the soccer ball.

"Crinkle, crinkle, little star..."
Anna-Laura singing her favorite tune.

"We'll get there when we get there!"
Scott's response (courtesy of The Incredibles) to the many "Are we there yet?" "How much longer?" "Are we still in Texas?" "This is taking a long time." from our family vacation

"Cware, I just picked this up!" (insert heavy sigh)
Anna-Laura

"Annoying when you pick up and somebody destroys your hard work, isn't it?"
Me, in response to Anna-Laura

Slacker Blogger and Top Ten

So, I've been a slacker blogger this week. Scott was out of town for a few days enjoying cooler weather up in Colorado. Me? I was here with 4 kids, 4 dentist appointments, a playdate, a pest control date, a million errands and a partridge in a pear tree. But, before I go all "my life is so busy" I decided to check my email this morning and found THE most amazing message in my inbox. Kathleen, you have no idea how much your note uplifted my day. God does have a way of humbling us and making us realize that our life is one to be thankful for - no matter the craziness, the sadness or the happiness. So, Kathleen, thank you for reminding me to be thankful...

Now, I realize it is Thursday, but will you afford me this slacker blogger pleasure and post the top ten today anyway? No? Tough. Here it is! With 4 kids in tow, I hear some pretty outlandish things. You'd be surprised what intelligent adults (and I do use the term "intelligent" loosely) will say to complete strangers. I promise I've really heard these - some more than once. I'm tempted to say something sarcastic - shocking, right? But, I usually mind my manners.

TOP TEN: THE THINGS PEOPLE SAY (and how I want to respond!)

1. Are they all yours?
(Nope, picked 'em up on aisle 5, they had a special, buy two, get two free.)

2. Boy, you have your hands full.*
(Oh, this is nothing, the twins are at home.)
*This one wins the frequent flier list...I think I hear it everytime we go out!

3. Wow! Are you Catholic or Mormon?
(Hi, I'm Kathryn.)

4. (insert heavy sigh here) People should not have that many kids.
(People shouldn't be that rude.)

5. You're not having any more...are you?
(I don't know, you've asked the wrong person.)

6. Well, somebody needs a timeout.
(Yes, perhaps you?)

7. Were they planned?
(Yes, God just didn't tell me in advance.)

8. Guess the birth control didn't work.
(Oh it worked, it's called faith.)

9. You should stop while you're ahead.
(Wow, did you just say that out loud?)

10. You have a beautiful family.
(THANK YOU!)

See, not all of them were outlandish! In all seriousness, when people see a large family (and in all honesty, I don't think ours is all that large) they want to say something nice or helpful, but sometimes it just comes out the wrong way. We love our kids, our circumstance and feel extraordinarily blessed. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Soccer Camp

Last week wore us all out, but boy did we have fun. It was our last camp of the summer (sniff, sniff). Anna-Laura had the one-hour class, which was just enough time...for both of us.





While she learned, John Paul and his buddy Rhys played this game. Throw the ball up on the net and shake it like a crazy person until it comes down. If that doesn't work, just climb on the net!



And when that got old, he bugged Clare.





John Paul and Anna-Laura with Coach Andy. Let me tell you...this guy was one of the most patient 19-year-old's I've ever met. He was superb with the kids and I just loved hearing him talk in a British accent!



While the two tornadoes were off kicking and playing cowboys and indians, Will was getting some serious soccer game time. He was part of the "Holland" team (hence the orange shirt in some of the pictures). As a fellow soccer mom and I agreed, we have a whole new appreciation for organized soccer. For the 'World Cup' each day, the kids were grouped with some younger and some older. Of course, the younger ones desperately tried to get in there and play, but it was tough. I was really proud of Will. He had a great attitude and played beautifully, even in 95-degree heat.




Coach Azy. He was from Scotland - quite a nice chap.



Now we're gearing up for the season of soccer which begins in about a month. Yes, I'm so looking forward to washing shin guards, uniforms, socks x2. Really, I am.

And then, dun, dun, dun...SCHOOL STARTS! Man, where did the summer go?

Surprise!

In honor of the brother/sister bond, Daniel and I did a fun thing back in May. You'll have to check it out. It was fun to surprise Mom and Dad for their 37th wedding anniversary! Shannon, the book of pictures was a TOTAL hit with the parentals. Thank you, thank you for helping us celebrate mom and dad's milestone. They were absolutely thrilled. I think they're fighting now over who gets to take the book to the office first :-)



Last night, my Aunt Judy, Uncle Scott and cousins Sarah and Anna were in town and we all gathered at Casa Whitaker for some burgers, ice cream and fun. We don't get to see them often (they live WAY up in the panhandle), so it was especially sweet to have them here. Instead of the standard "let's sit on the couch" pose, we opted for the playscape out back, just as the sun was going down. Notice how everyone is looking at the camera? I'm setting the timer from now on with the kids. It works everytime!!




Oh, and in case you're wondering what my brother will look like in 30 years with glasses? Wonder no more.